Pick Your Poison
by richonnelandfill
Summary: ASZ. Michonne attends a Girls' Night at Maggie's house and a game of dares ensues. After what seems like a set-up, Michonne decides to take matters into her own hands.
1. Chapter 1

Michonne grabbed the yellow elastic ponytail holder and wrapped it around the half section of dreads that dusted her shoulder. "All done. You ready to party Judy?" She turned away from the giant vanity mirror to address her date to Maggie's pajama party.

Earlier that afternoon, Maggie stopped by each house and left a hand-written invitation and a pair of cartoon onesies for her girlfriends. Carl happened to be home when she knocked on the Grimes' door. He opened the door and tilted his head to the right in puzzlement, the same way his dad did. Carl wasn't used to having unexpected visitors, and when they did have them, it typically wasn't on good occasions.

"Hey Carl." Maggie rocked forward and back on her toes in excitement with her hands behind her back. "I have a surprise for Michonne. Make sure she opens this when she gets home, okay?" She handed over a large sack to the curious teenager.

"Okay, no problem," he answered, eyeing the mystery bag.

Michonne glanced back into her and Judith's reflection in the mirror, prideful of the job she had done with Judith's matching pigtails. Judith smiled up at her in her new pink Minnie mouse onesie, Michonne in a bright yellow one.

"Such a pretty girl you are." Michonne nuzzled Judith's nose with her own as Rick appeared at Michonne's bedroom door frame, fawning over the pair. Seeing Michonne dressed like that made him wonder about what type of kid she was, in contrast to the mostly serious warrior she was now.

"Sun's going down. I take it you're almost ready to go." Rick gestured his head towards the bedroom window, the sky layered from a fiery orange, to dark pink, to a deep purple amongst Alexandria's quiet backdrop. Being out in nature so long made him skillful at telling time without a watch.

"I need to grab the baby monitor and few other things first. Are you in a rush to get rid of us?" She placed her hand on her hip, playfully grinning at her impatient roommate.

"Nah, Judith knows I love spending time with her. Isn't that right sweetheart?" Rick tickled his daughter as she grabbed his face, and then rose to focus on Michonne darting around the room, getting the diaper bag packed. He moved to set Judith down on the center of the bed. "You, on the other hand, were supposed to be long gone after I patched you up remember? I don't know how to get rid of you at this point." Michonne immediately spun around at his cruel joke, throwing an unused diaper in his face.

"You asshole." They laughed together reminiscing on the then tense moment together outside of Woodbury. "You like having me here." Her cheeks mounted her lips in a gummy smile, as she continued packing the bag.

"I love having you here. I wouldn't know what to do without you." He lightly grasped her elbow that held a wad of fresh diapers, and pulled her left hip towards his right and placed an adoring kiss on her forehead. "Meet me downstairs when you're done." Michonne turned away from Rick, in the direction of Judith and the diaper bag sitting on the bed. She nodded at his words, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing, as he lifted the cooing baby from the bed and carried her out Michonne's bedroom door with him.

Living in Alexandria had taken an abundance of stress off of Rick's shoulders, off of all of their shoulders. As a result, he began to display more playfulness and blatant affection than Michonne had ever witnessed in the two years she had known him. She refrained from reading too much into his flirtation towards her though. He was happy to have a fairly safe place for his children; that would put anybody in a good mood, especially in comparison to what they experienced before, yet she couldn't help relishing in their past encounters.

Michonne's thoughts drifted to last week when she attempted to teach Carl the basics of cooking. Carl made the mistake of leaving a pot of boiling water on the stove with the handle sticking outwards, and Michonne backed into it, splashing her forearm with the scalding water.

"Ah!" she cried grabbing her arm in pain.

"Sorry Michonne!" Carl said, fumbling with the pot and lid that scattered on the stovetop.

Michonne raced to soothe her arm under cool water from the kitchen faucet.

"What's wrong!?" Rick shouted from the top of the stairs, already rushing down to defend his family, colt python in hand. All the commotion in the kitchen startled Judith and she began to cry, sitting in her high chair.

Before Carl could answer his dad, Rick rushed over to inspect Michonne's arm. "Are you okay?" He set his gun on the counter, to better manage his hold on her.

"Rick it's fine. Just a little battle wound." She smiled, trying to dissipate his worries.

He sighed. Michonne could be stabbed in the leg and still call it 'no big deal'. Judith continued to shriek from the corner of the room. "Carl, take your sister upstairs and start her some bath water. It's been a long day, she needs some rest."

"Okay dad." He grabbed his sister and left the kitchen.

Rick's attention moved back to Michonne. "Do you insist on finding ways to hurt yourself?" He said sternly, holding her arm.

Michonne rolled her eyes, "Do you insist on being so dramatic? Was your gun really necessary?"

"I wasn't aware of how serious the situation was, so yea, I wanted to be prepared just in case."

"Well I'm fine." She said.

"Let me see it." He gently lifted her arm towards his face. Michonne gave up her fight and allowed Rick full control. The boiled water although painful, didn't leave a mark but her arm hitting the pot left a small, dark burn right above her elbow. He tenderly kissed a spot next to the burn, not wanting to cause her any more pain. "That's going to start peeling soon." Michonne held a gaze of wonder on her face.

Within the first weeks of moving in, he gravitated to placing his hand at her lower back whenever they shared a room. The first time took her by surprise, but day by day she grew fond of the physical attention, now his lips were finding their way to her skin on several occasions.

He was beginning to spark a yearning in her that she hadn't felt in years, which scared the crap out of her. This however, did not discount the genuine attraction she held towards him. C'mon, 6'0, slim build, electric blue eyes, dark curly hair, and muscles that had been put to good use. Whoever didn't find that attractive had to be insane.

When she made it downstairs, she took Judith in her arms, and Rick grabbed the large container of punch from out of the kitchen. "Where's Carl?" Michonne asked, glancing around the quiet living room.

"He's already at Abraham's. Since you all are having a girl's night, Abraham decided at the last minute to host a guys' night at his place."

"In other words, you all don't know what to do with yourselves with the women gone; therefore, you all are going to burp and scratch yourselves amongst company."

"Exactly, it should be interesting to say the least. We don't get to hang out much, outside of killing walkers." They stepped off their front porch in unison, walking in the direction of Glenn and Maggie's.

"Yea. Just make sure Carl stays away from the cigars and beer. I wouldn't put it past Abraham to try to slip him something, same goes for Daryl."

"What? Drinking beer with your dad's friends is a rite of passage for a young man. I had my first beer at nine, Carl's way past due."

Michonne shook her head in amusement. "Why am I not surprised?"

"What do you mean?"

"It sounds very country of you. You may as well give him a bucket for chewing tobacco too."

"I'm country, not a hick. There's a difference Michonne."

"Mmhmm."

The three reached the top of Maggie and Glenn's steps and before Michonne could knock, Maggie swung open the door with a half empty glass of wine in her hand.

"Hey!" Maggie nearly shouted, wrapping her free arm around her two new guests. "Rick you can set the punch on the table over there. She pointed in the direction of the food set up in the dining room. As Rick walked through the door, he could hear Maggie talking a mile a minute, she always got talkative when she was tipsy. Glenn walked around the corner to greet Rick.

"I see you're not on daddy duty," he patted Rick on the shoulder.

"Nope. Michonne's got Judith for the night. However Carl will be joining us at Abraham's."

"Carl's can shoot a Beretta faster than any of the men in Alexandria. He's been at least 30 years old since the day I met him." Rick chuckled at the seriousness of Glenn's statement, Carl really had matured over a short amount of time. "Let's get out of here before the rest of the glam squad gets here."

They walked side by side in the direction of Maggie, Michonne, and Judith gabbing by the front door. Glenn sidled up to his wife. "Have fun Mags, not too much fun. I don't want you puking all over the house."

"Oh hush," said Maggie before pecking him on the lips.

At the same time, Rick kissed Judith on the cheek, "bye munchkin" he said, and followed that with a kiss on Michonne's cheek, "see you tomorrow." He shortly met her eyes with flirtation before following Glenn out the door.

Maggie closed the door behind them and glanced out the window to make sure the men were out of earshot before she turned back to Michonne in amazement. "Mi-chonne, what the hell was that about!?" Maggie whispered aloud with her eyes wide, as if the two were sharing a secret.

"What?" pleasantly beamed back at her friend.

"Michonne, you know exactly what! Are you two having . . . sexual relations?" Her eyebrows jumped up twice to put emphasis on her words, as she tipped her wine glass to her lips. "I've been waiting for that to happen since we got to Alexandria. Well no, I was sure it was going to happen at the church, maybe at-"

"Oh my gosh Maggie, not in front of Judith!" Michonne giggled. "I'm going to go put her down in the bedroom and set up the baby monitor, and then we'll talk. But I'll assure you now, there's not much to talk about."

Michonne assisted Maggie in preparing the house for the rest of the guests. Maggie had surprised her in pulling out a Prince CD, Maggie revealed that on her last run she wandered into a party store that had been untouched; thus, all the materials idea for a get together was formed. One by one, Tara, Sasha, Carol, and Rosita arrived in their onesies with snacks.

All the women sat with both glasses of punch, or wine, and plates of food as Maggie stood to announce "Ladies, thank you all for coming. We've all been so busy with our jobs and responsibilities here in Alexandria, I figured we all could use a breather and take some time to be carefree like when we were kids, hence the onsies." She looked around her living room, giggling at her friends in their festive apparel and hairstyles.

"We appreciate it Maggie." Tara lifted her wine glass from the back of the room.

"You all deserve it. Now let's Party like it's 1999!" she yelled right on cue with Prince song, turning it up louder.

"Woooo!" the whole group resounded, dancing and singing around the room.

Abraham's house

"Pass me another beer Eugene." Abraham nodded across the poker table at his mullet-headed roommate.

Glenn, Morgan, Daryl, Aaron, Rick, and Carl sat around the poker table, each with a full hand of cards, strategizing their next move. Eric sat behind Aaron opting to serve as moral support. The dim lit room was filled with cigar smoke from Abraham and Morgan puffing away.

"And another for me too." Rick called out over his shoulder.

Eugene returned from the kitchen with two cold beers in hand, placing a bottle in front of Rick. "Although we have developed a considerable likeness for one another through our journey to safety, I am certain that I am not employed as you all's personal servant."

"Sorry, you were already up," Rick shrugged guiltily.

Abraham ignored Eugene as he continued dealing cards to Daryl sitting next to him. Rick slid the fresh beer over to Carl whom sat at his side. Carl gleefully scanned his father's face, contemplating if the situation was a set-up or not.

"Is this for me?" Carl asked.

Rick nodded, "I talked to Michonne about it earlier. It's about time you experience this rite of passage. My dad gave me my first beer way before I was your age, but you only get one tonight. I don't need Michonne yelling at me for giving you a hangover."

Carl smirked, imagining Michonne chastising his father. "This isn't going to taste as a bad as the wine is it?" He scrunched up his eyebrows remembering the unexpected sour taste of the red wine his father gave him a couple years prior.

"Depends on your personal taste," said Rick.

"That's not a definite yes or no." Carl smiled, not trusting his father's notion.

"Quit bitchin' and drink." Daryl lips curled into a small smirk, while the rest of his face stayed hidden under his long unkempt bangs.

"Yea take it like a champ!" Abraham cheered on, cigar hanging from the side of his mouth.

Carl cautiously placed the bottle up to his lips and glanced up at his father once more, before the room erupted in a chant of "Chug, chug, chug, chug!" Carl squinted forcefully, gulping down the whole bottle, and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. "Ugh, why do you guys drink this stuff? It's . . . bitter." He stuck out his tongue in disgust, as the men looked on chuckling. "I'm convinced that the older you get, the more your taste buds go." Rick smiled in remembering his similar thought as a child.

Morgan removed his cigar from his mouth, "Abe would you happen to have an ashtray for my cigar? I wouldn't want to leave ashes on your floor."

"Nah, don't worry about it." Abraham said, waving his hand in indifference. "Rosita won't be back until tomorrow morning and she's the only one that gives a shit about that kind of stuff. It's nice to have her yapping mouth gone for a night. She's always complaining, telling me to clean up after myself or yelling about me leaving piss on the toilet. That there is a beautiful woman, but she can be as aggravating as a tick on a camel's ass. And don't get me started on Tara. Her snoring could wake a bear out of hibernation, drives me nuts. You two are lucky you don't have any women in your house, controlling your every move." He pointed over at Aaron and Eric.

Eric quickly responded, "Oh no, we get on each other's nerves quite a bit. Even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, there are still more things I rather do than to pick up this one's clothes when he leaves them all over the floor." He shook Aaron's shoulder playfully, whom responded with a shy smile, "Sorry."

Eric continued, "Every couple has their disagreements right Glenn?"

Glenn eyes shot up at the mention of his name. "Me? Oh I just sit there and take it, because if I even try to get a word in Maggie will transform into the Hulk. I quickly learned to always let her win." He said matter-of-factly, grabbing stale chips out of a nearby bowl.

"Smart man." Aaron said before taking a sip of his beer.

Eric turned his body to the other side of the table asking, "What about you Rick?" Rick shuffled in his seat, not expecting his name to be called. "You and Michonne always seem to be in sync. I bet you two rarely argue."

Carl couldn't subdue his curiosity. He always wondered about the facets of his dad and Michonne's relationship when he wasn't around, especially considering the amount of time they spent alone without any other members of the group.

Rick tilted his head, scaling her anger. "While Michonne has never turned into the Hulk . . ."

"Aside from that one time she knocked you out." Morgan interrupted.

"Yea, aside from that, we sometimes disagree but she never yells. If anything she gives me a look of disappointment, which is even worse to me. Lori used to yell all the time, I'm used to that, but those looks Michonne gives me are lethal; therefore, I usually try to give her what she wants before it even goes that far."

Daryl let out a short breath through his nose. "That's basically how we got to Alexandria."

Eric smiled towards Rick, "I like Michonne, she's a get it done type of woman, and she can hold her own. I can respect that. You're a lucky guy."

Rick shook his head smiling. "Tell me about it. I practically owe her my life . . . But we're not together."

Carl felt like he heard disappoint in his father's voice.

"Really?" Eric raised his eyebrows in shock. "I thought you two had rectified that situation by now. Isn't that part of the reason you asked her to move in with your family?"

Carl's ears burned, trying to capture all of the new information. These were all questions Carl wanted to ask his father, but Rick would always find some way to avoid answering, sending Carl off on some dire errand for the Alexandrians. But now, he had to answer there were no excuses and no way out of it.

Rick, uncomfortable with the candidness of the conversation, grew red in the face. From the corner of his eye, he could feel Carl anticipating his next remark. Rick mulled over his answer in his head.

Abraham extracted his cigar from his mouth. "Wait, you mean to tell me you watch that woman come out of the shower every morning and haven't once thought of slapping skins?"

The muscles on Carl's faced twitched as he fought not break into a smirk, sensing the embarrassment emitting from his father.

"It's complicated." Rick drew all of his focus into his hand of cards, wishing the subject would change.

"He's chicken." Daryl retorted. Rick looked up from his cards at his friend in disbelief.

"He's right dad." Carl added, throwing chips nonchalantly into the center of the table.

"Whose side are you on!?" Rick glanced over at his son. Carl looked back and shrugged.

Glenn jumped in to the rescue. "Give him his credit. Michonne obviously has a thing for Rick too."

Rick shot a look at Glenn, and whispered to himself, "What!? How did I- . . ." He couldn't believe the ten minute discussion building upon his non-existent love life.

Glenn went on to say, "Look at it like this, she's more than self-sufficient and could have left the group eons ago, but somehow she's still here, and I doubt it's for Carol's acorn cookies and casseroles. I'm just saying." He shrugged responding to Rick.

Morgan nodded, "Mhm, when a woman's in love, she'll follow a man through the depths of hell and back. I know my wife Jenny did.

Abraham to a glimpse at the men in the room. "Well shit, how'd it get so sappy in here? Leave the foo foo talk to the women. They're probably watching some crappy chick flick right now with a shirtless son-of-a-bitch running across the screen."

Back at Maggie's

Maggie stood by the tv holding up her third glass of wine "What's the first rule of Fight Club?"

The women recited in unison, "Don't talk about Fight Club!"

Tara got up from her seat on the couch, grabbing more wine for her empty glass, as the ending movie credits rolled up the screen. "Ahh, I love that movie."

Rosita, lying on the pallet of covers on the floor, lifted her head from Sasha's lap. "It helps that Brad Pitt is hot as hell." Carol, sitting close by, swatted Rosita on the back of her thigh, everyone else nodded in agreement of her statement.

Carol added, "Did you even follow the plot of the movie?"

Rosita chuckled and rubbed the pained spot on her thigh, "I didn't have to. Brad Pitt shirtless was all I needed to be entertained." The women lightly chuckled.

Sasha smoothed her puffball back. "What should we do now Mags? It isn't even midnight yet."

Maggie tipped her head from side to side thinking. "Ooo, I've got an idea. When I was a teenager, I made up this game for Beth to play when her friends would come over, it's called Pick Your Poison."

Carol scrunched up her eyebrows. "I'm old, please explain this to me." Michonne reached down from the couch and smoothed down Carol's hair in endearment.

"Each person will draw a name out of a hat, and the rest of the group has to come up with three dares for the person to choose from. Some dares may be a little crazier than the others, but it's up to the person that is 'it' to decide, hence the name Pick Your Poison. Anybody brave enough to go first?"

"I like a good game of dares, I'll sacrifice myself." Rosita stood.

"Okay, here's a notebook. Write down every guy's name in the family and place them into this hat please." Maggie pulled Glenn's baseball hat out of the front closet, handing it over to Michonne. After she finished placing the shreds of paper in, Maggie shook the hat zealously. "Close your eyes Rosita and pull a name."

Rosita squinted her eyes closed forcefully, hoping for anyone but Eugene. All the women were aware that he had a crush on her, so it was obvious that if she pulled his name, any dare she received would be somehow manufactured to kiss him. Rosita reached her dainty hand into the hat and pinched a slip of paper. Opening her eyes she stretched out the name, "Darylllll." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Ooo," the women teased. Rosita was intrigued by this pairing, as she hadn't had too many personal interactions with him before.

"Tara, go with Rosita into the kitchen and wait for us to finish choosing her dares. Make sure she doesn't hear us." Maggie instructed.

After both ladies left the room, the remaining four women huddled together. Rosita and Tara watched from the kitchen as their friends whispered with mischievous grins upon their face. After a couple minutes Maggie called out, "Okay we're ready."

"What'cha got for me?" Rosita strolled into the room confidently, rubbing her hands together.

Sasha read from their list, "You can either A) steal one of Daryl's skinned squirrels, B) get a lock of Daryl's hair or C) lick his face."

"You guys are sick." Rosita laughed at the outrageous options. "Hmm, I don't want to go anywhere near though disgusting squirrels, and he hasn't taken a bath in I don't know how long. I'm going to go with B."

"I forgot to tell you, whichever dare you pick you will need an eye witness, or need to bring back some sort of evidence." Maggie warned pointed around the room at all the women.

"Consider it done." Rosita grabbed a giant pair of scissors laying on the nearby desk and sauntered out the front door. The women cracked up at how fearless she was in any given situation.

"Oh this is going to be hilarious! We all know how precious Daryl's long locks are." Sasha shook her head in amusement.

"Carol, care to go next?" Maggie grinned, almost spilling some of the wine from the glass that was glued to her hand.

The procession had went on until all the women had a dare to fulfill. Carol and Tara planned to visit Abraham's together, in order for Tara to grab a pair of Eugene's underwear and Carol to put saran wrap over Abe's open toilet seat.

Meanwhile, Sasha and Michonne were headed to the Grimes house together. Sasha had the fate of placing fake poop, a melted candy bar, in Carl's room and Michonne had the misfortune of leaving Rick a love note, which Maggie had concocted herself and ordered her not to look at. She couldn't help but feel she had been set up. Maggie knew that of the women's other two options, (making out with Rick, and giving him a lap dance), that Michonne for sure was going to choose the love note option.

Michonne and Sasha made their short trek through the dark neighborhood, the effects of her last giant gulp of alcohol had started to kick in. She and Sasha linked arms as they bumped into each other, giggling and enjoying each other's presence.

"I wonder if Carl will be able to tell this is chocolate." Sasha held up the warm bag gripped in her left hand. "I mean if this was poop, he would definitely be able to smell it. He's going to know something's up. It's not like you guys have a dog. That would be more believable."

Michonne threw her head to the sky, "Two kids, Rick, AND a dog to take care of? No thank you, I'm good with the three I have."

Sasha drew out a hard breath through her closed lips "Michonne, I wish I had a camera to record you right now because this is priceless. Any other time one of us brings up Rick, you dismiss it, and try to pass him off as your business partner or _close friend_ ," she said using air quotes. "Now I know to get a couple of drinks in you first." She lightly nudged Michonne with her hip.

"He _is_ my close friend Sasha." Michonne flung her hands in exasperation, while Sasha pursed her lips unconvinced. "Even Maggie is convinced that something is going on between me and Rick. Nothing's happened, I promise."

"But you want something to." Sasha raised her eyebrow in a statement more than a question.

Michonne paused to think. "Maybe," she bit her bottom lip.

"I knew it!" Sasha skipped in front of her friend.

The two made it to the top of the Grimes' porch, Michonne taking out her key to open the front door.

"Michonne let's be real, our current circumstances can only be used an excuse at this point. I mean look at us, we have time for a slumber party, but you don't have time to tell Rick that you have feelings for him?"

"It's complicated." Michonne answered, looking around the dark living room, guessing that Rick and Carl were still out. She waved Sasha towards the stairs. Carl's bedroom door lightly creaked as Sasha crouched down emptying the contents of the brown paper bag. Michonne stood at Carl's dresser, thumbing through the comic books that lay on top.

"You know as well as I do that although we're within these walls, time with the people we love is limited. It is truly of the essence, so don't miss out on something that could be really good," Sasha pleaded.

Michonne ruminated on Sasha's words until Sasha shown her a hand full of chocolate mess. "Okay, how did I get this all over my fingers?"

Michonne giggled, "You should go wash that off. But believe me Sasha I hear what you're saying. I just haven't felt this way about someone in a long time and I've been too scared to let myself feel it, without guilt. But you're right Sasha, it's time." She reached into her sports bra. "What did Maggie even write in this note anyway?" She unfolded the white sheet of paper and read the short message. "What!? Sasha you cosigned on this?"

"Huh?" Sasha came walking back into the room. "I had nothing to do with that. You know that was all Maggie." She laughed, raising both hands in protest.

"Yea, this has Maggie all over it. I can do way better than this on my own. Help me find some paper."

The two walked into Rick's bedroom and found a notepad laying on his desk. Michonne grabbed a pen and tapped her lips with it thinking of how she wanted to start her confession. After a couple minutes Michonne had a page full and left the paper on his bed. She almost turned back to discard of it, but Sasha convinced her to leave it. Michonne folded the old note and stuffed it back into her sports bra. With both their dares complete, they made their way back to Maggie's house.

Abraham's house

Carol and Tara are surprised to see Rosita skipping towards them with a baggie of hair in her hand. As she got within a couple feet of them, Rosita stuck out her tongue playfully and stopped, "Told you it'd be a piece of cake."

"You sly fox, you really pulled it off." Carol grinned.

"Wait are you guy's going to Abraham's too." They both nodded. "You better hurry and get back, they may start to get suspicious since I just left." She continued along skipping to showcase her medal of honor to Maggie.

Carol knocked on the door, she greeted Carl in surprise, unaware that he was invited to the adult festivities. In return, Carl was starting to think the men had brought him over to play doorman for the night, as this was the second time he was ordered to invite the houseguest in.

"Hey guys, we brought over some leftover snacks from Maggie's." Carol said.

While the rest of the men thanked Carol for her thoughtfulness, Daryl squinted, familiar with her homemaker façade.

"Tara and I will lay out everything in the kitchen for you all." Tara nodded and followed Carol into the other room. Once Carol began unwrapping a platter of food, she tapped Tara on the back of her thigh. With a clenched jaw, Carol smiled and halfway sung, "What are you doing?" Tara turned to the older woman with her face scrunched in confusion.

Tara suddenly remembered the real reason they came over, and whispered "Oh, right!" In a louder voiced she announced to the men, "I'm going to go use the restroom."She grabbed the box of saran wrap off of the counter.

She and Carol had a deal back at Maggie's that since Carol came up with the fake plan, Tara would have to put saran wrap on Abraham's toilet for her because it would seem sketchy if both of them were walking aimlessly throughout the entire house.

Abraham moved his cigar to the opposite side of his mouth. "You live here, you know where it is." He shook his head and no one caught Carol rolling her own eyes, as she kept only the back of her head in view.

Tara walked down the short hallway and double checked to see if anyone was watching her before she passed the bathroom and opened Eugene's bedroom door. She quietly closed the door behind her. "I hope to God that Eugene has been washing his underwear."

Meanwhile, Daryl strolled into the kitchen, his suspicion at a peak. "What the hell is going on?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Carol's eyes stayed focused on the platter of food she was unwrapping.

"You're a terrible liar you know."

"Either way, there's nothing to figure out. Chip?" She offered him a tortilla chip over her shoulder. He grabbed it from her and walked back towards the poker table, but not before adding. "You're some piece of work lady."

Tara reentered the kitchen with a noticeable lump in her right onesie leg, Carol assumed that was where she stashed Eugene's undies. "We're good" Tara mouthed.

Carol nodded and poked her head into the living room. "We're all done here. Enjoy." She gave a sweet smile as Tara followed closely behind her.

The room resounded with a mixture of parting words. Daryl hastily walked over to the living room window to see Tara and Carol dashing back to Maggie's like their legs were on fire and giggling.

"Something wrong Daryl?" Morgan asked from his seat at the table.

Daryl crossed his arms over his vest. "They're up to something."

Maggie's house

Maggies's eyes grew as she saw Carol and Tara pull open the living room door. "How it'd go?" she asked.

Michonne and Sasha sat on the couch, having beat them to the house.

"Well captain obvious over here acts like she's never held a secret in her life." Carol pointed to Tara at her side, as she gasped.

"What? Nothing slipped from my mouth." She palmed her chest in testimony.

Everyone in the room rolled their eyes. Rosita walked up to Tara with pursed lips and her hand outstretched for an explanation "Uh oh, What'd you do?"

"Wha-? I, I-"

"She announced she was going to the bathroom in her own damn house." Carol placed her hands on her hips.

Maggie palmed her forehead but couldn't help but laugh. "Remind me to tell Rick to never make you the spokesperson, or negotiator, or spy etc. for the group."

"I thought I did a good job." Tara pouted.

Sasha pulled Tara's head to her chest and smoothed her hair. "It's okay boo, we all can't be deadly assassins like Carol."

"Or Rick for that matter." Rosita chuckled holding her glass of punch.

"Speaking of Rick, Sasha, I trust that you completed your dare, but did Michonne leave the note?"

Speaking into the new cup she picked up, Sasha lifted her eyebrows and said, "oh, she left a note alright. More like a monologue."

"Michonne, what did you do?" Maggie asked.

Michonne tried to squint past her tipsy state, eyeing the baby monitor. "I wrote a better one."

Carol almost choked on the wine she was sipping. "Well I'll be… I never thought this day would come," Carol whispered.

"You're kidding!?" Rosita asked.

"She's very serious." Sasha laughed.

"What did this new note say?" Maggie put down her wine glass. Since she was tipsy she needed to have all her senses focused in one spot to ensure she didn't drop any details.

Michonne finally looked up at the room of anticipating women. "The details don't matter, the intent was the same," she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh c'mon Mich, you gotta give us more than that!" Tara said.

"It's private. And plus I don't want to broadcast my feelings for him until I know he feels remotely the same."

Maggie sighed, "So are you waiting for Rick to climb the nearest mountain and yell his undying love for you from its peak," Michonne slumped her shoulders, as her eyes rolled in her friend's direction, "I mean it's obvious the man has feelings for you too. You all should've seen it. When Rick came to drop her and Judith off, you know from the house they live together in," her voice raised to emphasize her point, "he kissed her goodbye."

"Was there tongue?" Rosita asked with wide eyes.

"Hush child." Carol added playfully.

Michonne intercepted before Maggie carried on. "Maggie don't exaggerate, it was on the cheek."

"It would've been on the lips if you hadn't decided to wait 5,000 years to tell him how you feel. Rick is dropping massive hints, it's your move."

Michonne sighed, knowing too well that everything Maggie was saying was true. "I left him the note, so that's as far of a move I'm willing to make right now."

"I'm proud of you Michonne." She climbed behind Michonne on the couch and wrapped her arm around her shoulders in an embrace.

"Not to interrupt this sweet moment," Tara said as she squeezed the lump in her onesie leg, "but I need to cash in my reward." She pulled out the giant wad of Eugene's giant tinged underwear and threw it across the floor.

"Ugh, that's disgusting!" Rosita stuck out her tongue, her skin crawled at the sight.

Just then, Glenn swung open the living room door with Carl closely behind him, causing the women to panic, knowing that something had to be wrong.

"Maggie." Glen called reaching for his wife.

"Carl, what's going on?" Michonne ignored the floor swiveling beneath her as she rushed to stand from the couch, the effects of the alcohol still swimming in her system.

"I'm getting Judith, Michonne listen to Glenn." Carl continued down the hallway towards Glenn and Maggie's bedroom where Judith was resting.

Michonne's heart raced thinking about where Rick could possibly be.

Glenn addressed the room, "Guys, I need you all to calm down. No one is hurt, but walkers somehow got in and there were too many for Spencer to take down from the post up front."

"Shit," Rosita grabbed her forehead in frustration.

"We need to get you all to the armory to get weapons, follow me."

As the rest of the women started moving towards the door, Carol and Michonne knew something felt off. Glenn said there were walkers out, yet he came to the house without a weapon. Although Glenn has proven time after time to be able to handle himself, it would be less than smart to run around without a weapon with walkers being loose. In spite of the thought, they followed the group of women out the front door with Glenn leading the way.

Michonne stopped in her tracks realizing that Carl hadn't left the house with them, before she could take a step, Carl appeared from the hallway.

"I'll watch Judith. Go find my dad."

Michonne nodded and caught up to Carol at the tail-end of the group, she kept her eyes alert for any walkers that may have straggled near their homes. The women stopped in their tracks once they heard a twig snapping from behind large bushes outside of Mrs. Neidermeyer's house.

Glenn seized the moment and ran from the group without any of them noticing. All of a sudden, Rick, Daryl, Aaron, Eric, Morgan, Eugene, and Abraham jumped from out the bushes with large buckets of cold water, splashing the women in one giant effort and yelling in triumph.

Yells of annoyance echoed from the women as they clung to their wet onesies, and wiped water from their faces.

Daryl skipped over to Carol with a giant grin on his face. "Payback's a bitch."Water dripped from the tips of her short hair as Carol thumped Daryl on his arm.

Meanwhile Rosita could be heard smacking Abraham on the arms, "Es stupido! I should kick your ass!"

Abraham laughed, miraculously still carrying the cigar in his mouth. Rosita inciting a heated argument in her purple onesie was a sight for words, she resembled a little angry chicklet.

Michonne bent over in her onesie to wring the water from her ponytails, as Rick jogged over. The skin at the side of Rick's eyes crinkled with the widest smile plastered his face. "We got you good."

Rick noticed a wet, crinkled piece of white paper laying on the ground close to Michonne's feet and unfolded it. Michonne barely noticed as she had switched sides, bending at the waist again to rid her other ponytail of water. Rick smiled as he read the message and quickly shoved the paper into his back pocket.

Michonne finally stood feeling she had done an efficient job for the moment. "How'd you find out?"

"A little birdy tipped us off. But that's not important . . ." his eyes twinkled. "You want me." Rick's eyes smoldered while Michonne's grew wide in horror. "You've loved me since the day we met?"

Michonne patted down her chest and began digging in her sports bra, hoping to feel the piece of paper that Maggie had given her earlier that night.

Rick pulled the soggy paper from his back pocket and waved it like a golden ticket. Michonne buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"This isn't your handwriting, but something tells me there's some truth behind it." Rick knew Michonne's guard wasn't fully up, her being slightly intoxicated left her partially vulnerable. He learned that over the years. In fact, he grew to learn so many random things about Michonne over the years, even the most miniscule gestures.

For instance, how lethal and skilled she could be when it was time to fight, but then automatically grew shy whenever Rick stepped within the bubble of her personal space. How she laughed and cared for his children without being coerced. How she communicated to Rick without saying words. Rick knew he was falling in love with her, but he didn't want to overwhelm Michonne or scare her away. Although he still didn't know her whole story, Rick knew that she had lost a lot before they met and he knew how scary it was to jump into something new; therefore, he kept what he felt was a respectable distance, but tonight he couldn't help himself.

"Rick don't take it too seriously it was a part of a dare." Michonne struggled to avoid his question as her tipsy state was surely, but slowly wearing off; her wall of protection was coming back up.

"But is it true?" He stepped closer to Michonne, with his own buzz propelling his confidence. They both neglected the rest of the group that stood close by carrying on in their own side conversations.

"Do I really have to answer this," she whined.

"Yea," Rick took another step closer, "I tell you how I feel about you all the time." His voice grew to a low growl that only Michonne would hear. "Plus I'm always touching you . . .," he grabbed her hip, "and kissing you . . ." his lips gently touched her neck, as he now held her body in a soft embrace, "but I never take it any further because I don't know how you feel about me. So I'm flat out asking you," he whispered into her ear, "do you love me?"

Confliction welded Michonne's feet to the ground. She knew in her heart that the answer was yes, but telling him that would change everything. She didn't want things to become awkward between them, but that was already happening as the sexual tension surrounding them grew to a boil and all of the family began taking notice. It was more awkward that they _hadn't_ had sex yet, there was only so much fucking they could do with their eyes alone.

Rick's blue fiery eyes studied Michonne's face patiently as she silently closed her eyes, recounting the words and feelings she expressed in the long letter in Rick's bedroom.

"I do." She replied in almost a whisper, her eyes fluttering open.

Before Michonne knew it, she was looking at the ground and her feet were above her head. She yelped in surprise as Rick threw her over his shoulder, similar to how he did when they first met outside the prison. His hand supported her butt from falling as adrenaline, hurriedly moved his legs towards their empty house.

"What's happening Rick?" She was concerned, but amused with his spontaneity.

His southern drawl delivered out the order like the true sheriff he was. "We get home, you're drinking plenty of water to sober up. I don't want you forgetting anything we're about to do tonight."

Hearing the commotion outside, Carl poked his head out of Glenn and Maggie's house, and jogged down with the baby monitor in hand to Daryl standing close by talking to Carol and Tara. "Hey, where did my dad and Michonne go?"

Daryl having watched their whole interaction knew exactly where the two had left off to. "They had some uh. . . business to take care of?"

"At night?" Carl wondered.

"Look kid, don't ask questions. You'll see them in the morning." He quickly calculated in his head that with the amount of tension they had building, Rick and Michonne would not be back until the sun came up.

Carl realized that was his cue to spend the night elsewhere. "Okay, but what happened to your hair? There's a short spot in the back. Looks like a missing piece."

Daryl's hand gripped the back of his head, feeling for the missing strands. "Shit. ROSITA!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: OMG, I'm so glad I finally get to post this! This story has definitely been entertaining to say the least. Thank you to yourwonderingwoman for serving as my beta for this chapter, I would've been stuck in a rut without you! Leave a comment and enjoy!**

Michonne groaned as her head began pulsating. She slowly stretched out her limbs, careful not to make any sudden moves as her eyes adjusted to the sun shining in through her window curtains. "Ughhhh…"

"What happened last night?" she mumbled as she scratched her scalp. She propped herself onto her elbows and her eyes caught on the yellow onesie she had worn last night, hanging on her desk chair. Her eyes grew wide. Why was it no longer on her body? Then she remembered that her hair had been in ponytails. That was missing as well. Her dreads communed against her chest and shoulders.

Michonne peeled off the covers to reveal the sports bra she had on last night and her underwear. She let out a breath of relief. The memories from last night were fuzzy but she felt better having woken up butt-naked in her own bed, rather than someone else's for that matter.

The main thing she remembered was drinking at Maggie's house, which explained the headache but she couldn't remember how the hell she got home. She climbed out of bed and half-mindedly prepared for a shower as she retraced her steps of last night.

Strolling towards her dresser she noticed her ponytail holders sitting where Judith was the other night before they left. "Is Judith home? She's usually awake by now." A flash of the scenes from last night struck her.

"Rick," she whispered before clasping her hand over her gaping mouth. "Oh my gosh." All of her stand-off with the sexy cowboy played in her head as she stepped in to the warm shower.

* * *

 _Last Night_

Rick's mind raced as he fumbled with the cups on the shelf in the cupboard. As he grabbed one, a few came tumbling onto the counter. He couldn't even blame his intoxication on his clumsiness, he was partly nervous, partly excited. It had been forever since he had made love to a woman but it had happened several times over already in his head.

"Get it together Rick," he chided himself.

He finally got a cup of water filled and strolled over to the living room couch to only see a large imprint from where Michonne was previously laid out. He searched the room to find any trace of where she went and saw his bedroom door slightly ajar. _Not surprised that she would take the lead and already be in the bed_ , he thought to himself.

He took one last big breath as he made his way up the stairs to his room. Rick pushed open the door only to find a Michonne-less bed. He saw the sliver of light coming through from the adjoining bathroom that revealed a piece of paper resting on top of his sheets. He was intrigued knowing that it hadn't been there before, but he temporarily ignored it to search for his intended lover.

"Michonne," he called out, expecting the worst.

"Rick, don't come in here," she pleaded.

He set the cup down on his dresser and heard coughing and sniffling.

"Don't be ridiculous, you're sick let me help you." Rick stepped closer to the bathroom door to hear her.

"Riiicccckkk no, this is embarrassing."

He couldn't help but chuckle from behind the door. "Within a week of knowing me you saw me rolling around a field crying over my dead wife. I think we're way past the embarrassing part of our relationship."

She giggled but quickly stopped herself, "ugh, don't make me laugh. My stomach hurts." Michonne hung over the toilet hoping her stomach was done emptying its contents. Her wet onesie clung to her body, her ponytails flopping halfway on her face.

She groaned. "Rick, don't let me ruin your night. I'm going to go to bed in a second."

Rick sighed, "No, it's my fault. I should've thought about all the wine you drank before I carried you upside down. I probably didn't help your cause."

"Can't fight that one."

Rick entered the bathroom and helped to get her up from the porcelain throne. He supported her as they walked to her bedroom.

"I'm going to get you that cup of water and some Tylenol, you're going to need it."

As he left the room, she collapsed onto the bed, exhausted and head spinning from the crazy night. She only got a few seconds to breathe before Rick strode back in.

"Uh uh uh…, take the pills first." He pulled her hand to help her to sit back up, and she whined in opposition. "You're wet, let me take your clothes off for you."

She smiled drunkenly, "I always imagined you saying that in a completely different context." She giggled once more at Rick's cheeks turning red before swallowing down the pills.

"You never cease to surprise me." He grinned as he pulled down her long front zipper and one by one pulled each arm out of the onesie. He gently lifted her off the bed and leaned her body against his chest in order to roll the one piece down her body.

Michonne turned her head into Rick's neck and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Mmm, Rick you're so good to me. I could never repay you." She hoped she didn't sound as drunk as she felt because she was serious.

He smiled thinking back to his conversation with Eric and knowing that he practically owed Michonne his life. "It's not a favor when you love someone Michonne." He gently laid her back on to the bed and pulled the onesie from her legs.

As she laid there half-conscious in her underwear, the desire that reflected in his eyes earlier shifted to adoration. Even after throwing up, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes upon. Her chest rose and fell deeply as he pulled up her comforter to tuck her in. He kissed her on the forehead and went back to his room to investigate the peculiar paper that was left on his bed.

* * *

 _Present Day_

The warmth from the shower was soothing but it didn't couldn't help her out of her disoriented state. She recounted being whisked away by Rick that night but the details were still hazy. She couldn't remember everything she said to him, but she knew she had made herself completely vulnerable and that made her uncomfortable. It was fine when she was half-coherent but to be that vulnerable scared the crap out of her. This wasn't just some high school crush, if Rick wanted to take that next step with her, so many things would change whether she wanted them to or not. She wouldn't be able to tiptoe around her position as Carl and Judith's mother figure, and she and Rick would have to discuss what that would look like. They never heavily discussed Lori, but as Judith grew older, Michonne knew the questions would be inevitable. Was Rick ready for that?

The smell of breakfast pulled Michonne out of her thoughts and downstairs into the kitchen only to find Rick heavily preoccupied with moving a fork around the skillet in his hand. It seemed like he had a lot on his mind, but Michonne didn't want to address last night whatsoever. Her plan was to pretend it never happened.

"Good morning." She called out, hoping that would break his focus on the meal.

Rick looked up from the stove and started to address her when they were both interrupted by Carl coming through the door with Judith.

"Hey," Carl said, with Judith reaching out for Michonne.

"Good morning Carl." Michonne laughed at the eager baby, as she grabbed Judith from his arms. "Hi baby girl, I missed you," she cooed.

She continued to walk Judith over to Rick so he could give her a greeting. She stopped right next to him, practically hip to hip.

"Hi sweetheart." Rick smiled and kissed her on the cheek as she gurgled and granted him with a sloppy wet kiss on the cheek in return.

Michonne smiled at their interaction until Rick's piercing blue eyes locked with hers. She was immediately pulled back into the moment last night with Rick asking her if she loved him. He slowly lifted himself upright still gazing at her face. None of this went missed by Carl as he entered the kitchen to grab a cup.

Carl's lips tugged into a smile, before clearing his throat. "Ahem!"

They quickly broke eye contact and proceeded back to what they were doing. Michonne used her free arm to rub her throat, it was still sore from the mayhem of the night before.

"Michonne, are you okay?" Carl asked. "Seems like you had a rough night."

 _Dammit, he knows._ "I'm just a little tired and my throat's a little sore from all the singing I was doing at Maggie's."

"You probably shouldn't have tried to stay up past your bedtime then."

"Who are you, my mother? I don't have a bedtime."

"Yeah you do," he chuckled. "You go to bed faithfully at 9:00 every night, if not you wake up cranky with bags under your eyes, and complain about how your back hurts."

Rick laughed into the warm coffee mug he had picked up. He proceeded to finish their morning meal.

"Actually my back is always sore from swinging around a katana, so there's that. And I'm always cranky in the morning because I'm undoubtedly a horrible morning person."

Rick raised both eyebrows and tilted his head in agreeance from the other side of the kitchen island.

"Whatever you say," Carl replied.

"Judy why does your brother always harass me? Are his comic books not entertaining enough?" Judith scrunched her face, showing her two front teeth in a goofy grin. She proceeded to shake her head, playing into Michonne's slander. Carl shook his head at the betrayal of his sister as he followed them both to sit down at the kitchen table.

Rick loved his mornings with his family but he couldn't help but be bothered about what Michonne had told him in the letter. It wasn't even what she wrote but more so that she seemed to not want to talk about it. Maybe she was waiting to say something once Carl left, either way they needed to talk, but he grew more and more impatient by the second.

He served the hot meal onto each of their plates and purposely sat next to Michonne on the bench as opposed to his regular seat next to his son. Michonne found it hard to ignore him with his thigh touching hers. Instead of giving in to the attention she turned to Judith on her opposite side to help get the food from her uncoordinated hands into her mouth. _Strike one._

Although Rick didn't say a word, she didn't have to look at him to know that he wanted to talk. He then snuck his arm between them and began rubbing the small of her back. She quickly paused, almost addressing Rick but deciding against it. He let out a hard breath. _Strike two._

"Michonne, can I talk to you for a second?"

She couldn't run this time. She nodded her head just before getting up and leaning against a counter. Rick slowly followed her with his bow-legged gait.

"I know Carl already asked but are you alright?" His brows scrunched in concern.

"Yea Rick, I'm fine."

"Well we haven't really discussed last night." He tapped nervously on the counter.

"There's nothing to discuss. Nothing happened." She shrugged nonchalantly.

 _Strike three._ Rick rolled his neck to each shoulder. "Dammit Michonne, why do you always do this?"

"Do what?" Her voice growing in annoyance.

"When are you going to stop avoiding us?"

"What about us? And why do you feel like I have to share my every single thought with you?"

He didn't have an answer for her. He shared his every thought with her but it was instinctive. She never had a problem with him sharing, but she was always reluctant to reciprocate.

"Fine Michonne. You do what you want."

Rick turned away his muscles tensed. Michonne rolled her eyes and kicked her foot against the floor.

"I'm going over to Sasha's," she said, passing the kitchen table speaking more to Carl than anybody else. Rick ignored her, poking absentmindedly at the cold food on his plate.

"What was that about?" Carl questioned across the table at his father, using the tip of his fork to pick at the remnants of food on his plate.

"Nothing," Rick grumbled.

"Dad really? You two weren't acting normal."

"Don't you have some dishes to wash?"

"Dad I've already heard you two talking in the kitchen. I'm a little more observant than what you give me credit for."

"Maybe so, and what exactly is normal for me and Michonne." He began cleaning up Judith's mess.

"You guys usually stare at each other when the other isn't looking, but today you were staring right at each other which I thought was a good sign. But then you were all in Michonne's space and she got uncomfortable and started ignoring you at the table. Michonne hates people in her space, that's why she left."

Rick clenched his jaw, annoyed that his son knew Michonne better than he did.

"Dad, just talk it out with her, but give her space. Michonne will talk when she's ready to."

* * *

 _Sasha's house_

Sasha had shortly returned from her early morning guard duty. She was in the process of unstitching her bullet-proof vest when she heard a stern knock at her front door. She answered the door to an exhausted and weary Michonne.

"Looks like you threw your back out. I'm guessing that that's a good sign."

"Not even close." Michonne buried her head into her hands.

"You've got to be kidding me! After you and Rick left the way you did I was certain I wouldn't see you leave the house for at least 48 more hours."

Before Michonne could reply another knock came at the door, this one more lagging. Both Sasha and Michonne's eyebrows jumped unaware of who the uninvited guest could be.

Once Sasha peered through the peep hole her body fell into familiarity.

"Maggie," she mouthed over to Michonne, who waited on the couch. "Hey Mags, please tell me your night with Glenn went way better than Michonne's."

"Well you're about to be really disappointed because I don't think anyone's night could be worse than mine." Maggie gave Sasha a light hug and walked over and did the same to Michonne.

"You want to bet on that?" Michonne asked.

"Dammit Michonne what the hell happened? Sasha, I told you we should've just stripped them both down and put them in a room together."

"Maggie," Sasha rolled her eyes.

"Would've been much quicker," she shrugged. "Sasha do you have anything to drink?"

"Check in the fridge. So before we hear Michonne's romance novel, tell us about your tragedy last night?"

Maggie sighed, "It's not much of a mystery. I had way too many glasses of wine last night, and Glenn ended up having to clean up my mess after I insisted on dancing erratically to the rest of that Prince album."

"All that after Glenn gave you that warning." Michonne smirked.

"I know. He was pissed. You'd have thought that I had never had a drink before. I had to do something to preoccupy myself while I was waiting for you guys to get back from your dares."

Michonne paused. "We did dares last night?"

Sasha and Maggie deadpanned, "Yea…"

Sasha reached out and grasped her friend's knee. "Michonne honey, you don't remember playing the game?"

Michonne's face stilled in silence.

"We literally walked over to you and Rick's house together."

"I mean, as you are saying things it's coming back to me a little bit."

"Do you even remember writing the letter?" Maggie added in a serious tone.

Michonne's eyes grew. "Letter?!" She crammed her eyes shut trying to rewind the night like a VHS tape.

"Shit Michonne, I thought out of everything you would've remembered that, especially since you worked so hard on it, and you were super nervous about Rick reading it."

"Has he read it yet?!" Maggie cut in.

"Clearly I don't know Maggie, if I'm just now remembering that I wrote it in the first place. Oh my God." She fell back, already feeling the pounding in her head increasing. "That's probably why we got in an argument this morning." She groaned.

"Uh oh." Sasha scooted closer on the couch in an attempt to soothe Michonne.

"He's mad that you forgot?"

"Something like that. He's upset that I avoided talking about last night. I thought I was going to wake up and pretend nothing happened, but that's impossible now that I've spilled my guts to him in a letter. This is why I didn't want to move from being friends, it's too complicated. Things were fine how they were."

"Yeah, except the fact that you two were never just friends. Come on, we had this conversation last night." Sasha pouted playfully. "Right, I can't remember a day that you weren't a wife with two kids." Maggie sipped from her cup.

 _Two kids, more like three._ Michonne had yet to tell Maggie and Sasha about her son Andre, she had failed to tell anyone but Carl. She had forgotten that she eluded to it in the letter. She had needed to pull together the courage to tell him. _How do you tell him about Andre, when you haven't relived the story since it happened?_

She spent the rest of the day picking up put aside errands to elongate the daunting conversation with Rick.

The sun began to set when Michonne finally made it back home. She opened the door to find Rick stretched out on the couch half asleep as Judith attempted to sing gleefully with what had to be an old Care Bear's tape. Carl was in front of the couch on the floor flipping through a comic book. The click of the door closing woke Rick out of his light slumber. He quickly searched his surroundings, unaware that he had fallen asleep.

She forced Rick to move over so she could enjoy the show with Judith, spending as much time with her as she could before she quietly dozed off. Rick did nothing to bother her heeding Carl's advice and trying to give her personal space. Michonne carried the slumbering angel up to her bedroom. Carl soon followed and turned in for the night. Rick could give her room but he couldn't fight his desire to watch Michonne perform her nightly ritual with Judith.

He leaned outside Judith's bedroom wall peering through the crack as he heard Michonne's soft tone dance around the room.

 _Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high_

 _There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby._

 _Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue_

 _And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true._

Rick wasn't sure when she had started this ritual, yet he stole the chance to hear her sing whenever he could without her knowing. It all made sense now. He couldn't hold back any longer he had to know.

"Son or daughter?" Rick whispered as he stepped into the room.

"What?"

"I know you had a kid Michonne."

Michonne drew out a deep breathe. "Rick, I really don't want to talk about this right now."

"I'm beginning to wonder how long I have to wait because you never want to talk, at least not about yourself." Michonne remained facing the crib, wincing at the painful, yet true statement.

"I'm not like you. I can't give up every detail of my life on a whim. You can do that with me, but I just don't work that way. Why is that so hard to understand? You know more about me than anyone else."

"Which is hardly anything, because again you never talk to me about your past." They both grew aggravated in realizing that the conversation was not going to move forward.

"I don't owe you anything."

"I know you don't . . . I just want to know you better. I didn't think that was a crime."

"It's not."

"So talk."

That was the last straw. She wasn't going to let him bully her into an already difficult conversation.

"Hey!" she whispered with so much force she almost spat, "you may be the boss around Alexandria, but you're not the boss of me. Let's get that straight. So don't come in here using your sheriff antics on me. I'll talk to you if and when I want, you got that?"

They locked in a brief stare before Michonne brushed past him to depart from the room. Rick hung behind fuming.

Michonne changed into pajamas and climbed into her bed, all the while grumbling about Rick's behavior. _Who the hell does he think he is?!_ She punched her pillow a couple times before aggressively hurling her head down. She stilled once she noticed the peeled burn on her arm. Her thoughts automatically went back to that moment of Rick being overly protective and kissing her arm.

Her frustration gradually dissipated, those feelings being replaced with that ever recurring yearning for his physical touch. She pulled the covers up and scrunched them up next to her as if they were Rick's body. _Oh my god. I really do love him. Otherwise, I wouldn't be feeling this way. I can't even stay mad at him._ The heat that emitted from between her thighs was almost unbearable.

In the next room Rick mirrored her. Fighting with the covers before settling on one leg being tangled in the covers and one hanging free. _Why is she so damn stubborn?!_ Then he cracked a smile, thinking back to how adorable she was when angry.

* * *

The next day, Michonne and Rick avoided talking to one another at the breakfast table as best they could. Carl attempted to engage them both in conversation but they were preoccupied in their own thoughts, only supplying him with single word replies. After a while, he called it a loss and hurried off to school, hoping that whatever was going on would soon come to an end. Rick and Michonne followed shortly, sifting towards their own responsibilities.

Michonne had a meeting scheduled with Deanna to make arrangements for a new pair of residents being brought into Alexandria. After reviewing the communities' layout with Deanna, she exited the Monroe home and headed toward the fields to prep for her knives class.

Tara stopped Michonne in her tracks, looking over her shoulders before speaking. "Michonne I need your help." Michonne's brow quickly lifted. "I need to borrow one of Rick's shirts."

Michonne quickly thwarted her jealous thoughts, reminding herself that Tara would never be interested in him that way. "What for?" she responded.

"A dare," she said nervously looking over her shoulders once more.

"Are you guys still playing that silly game?"

"You want in?"

"No thanks, I'm still dealing with the aftermath of the first round." Michonne rolled her eyes. "I'm curious though, who else did you get sucked in?"

Tara smiled, "I'm up against Rosita and of course Maggie is our judge."

"You guys are a trip. Come over to the house later. Oh, speaking of that Deanna is throwing a welcome party tonight and wants all the residents to attend, so spread the word please."

"At this rate we're going to have a party every week. She might as well start up a happy hour at her house."

A smile tugged at the corner of Michonne's lips. "Tell me about it. I'll see you later." She grabbed Tara's shoulder shortly and went about her day.

Across the way Rick carried a stack of steel rods over to the pile that Abraham was diligently working on. He almost tripped over a rock trying to keep his eye on the conversation Michonne and Tara were having. She didn't talk at home, but she had no problem talking to everyone else. Abraham looked up from the fence and noticed Rick's lack of concentration.

"Something catch your eye?"

"Hmm? no, no... I'm just clumsy."

"Sure." Abraham chuckled to himself.

Rick picked up the sledgehammer to his side and began to drive a metal stake into the ground.

Their work was interrupted again when Glenn made his way over to the wall. "Hey guys, Deanna's throwing another one of her parties tonight."

"Fuck yeah, unrationed liquor!" Abe threw a tight fist into air.

Rick scoffed. "Who's coming in this time?"

"Not sure. All I know is that they're a married couple. Deanna and Michonne were planning out which house they were going to stay in a little while ago, so one of us may have new neighbors."

"Fine with me, as long as they don't mind possibly catching me walking 'round with my salami stick swingin'. Modesty's for pussies." Rick and Glenn quickly tried to push Abraham's visual out of their minds.

"Yeah, sure… speaking of Michonne, Maggie told me what happened the other night. Dude, what a bummer." Rick's cheek flushed red as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah."

"Oh, is that why you were staring daggers at the little samurai? Didn't get to butter her muffin Rick?"

"Dude." Glenn tried to buffer Abraham's crass language.

"Michonne wrote me a letter telling me all these things she felt about me, which we've never talked about face-to-face, so I tried bringing it up and she freaked out, like I concocted the whole thing in my head. When it comes to personal feelings she's such a closed book. Sometimes I think she has this whole other life, ya know before things happened, that I know nothing of. It's frustrating."

"I think she's trying Rick. We all had completely different lives before the turn. I think some people, like Michonne have a harder time making peace with what was."

Abraham nodded in the background, his attention divided by sorting the nuts and bolts that lay in the grass.

"Before, you were a sheriff, and now you're still practically a sheriff and you have both yours kids. Aside from Lori dying, it's arguable to say all that changed for you was the environment. Who knows what Michonne did before or the number of people she's had to leave behind. Michonne never talks about her life before, but I'm pretty damn sure she thinks about it. Be patient with her Rick."

Rick swept his hair back and sighed. "That's basically what Carl told me."

"Your boy's giving you advice on the ladies?" Abraham chuckled.

"Hey, don't underestimate him. He's given me a number of tips on how to deal with Maggie." This was news to Rick but he wasn't necessarily shocked.

"Well I'll be damned. Maybe I should set up an appointment with the little genius."

* * *

 _Deanna's House_

Rick slowly scoured the room for Deanna, hoping to get his obligation as a part of the welcome party over with. He had already rushed getting there, having had an argument with Spencer about his guard duty shift. When he stopped at home to change out his work clothes he found a note from Michonne warning him that she took Judith and Carl to Deanna's already.

Finally he caught two unfamiliar faces near a bookcase with the short red-haired woman talking energetically with her arms in front of them. The man appeared to be not much older than himself and had an arm wrapped around the tall, brunette woman standing next to him. It was obvious that they had been together for a long time. How lucky they had to have been to make it through the zombie apocalypse together. He strolled closer to the trio and rested his hand on Deanna's shoulder to notify her of his presence.

Deanna spent a few minutes introducing Rick to the couple. In return, the pair shared a brief recounting how they made it to Alexandria. Throughout the story Rick couldn't help but notice how similar their story was to himself and Michonne. He had been wrong in thinking that they were married before, yet instead had met during the madness and fell in love fast. The man confessed that one morning they woke up, shared vows and devoted themselves to being husband and wife from that day on. Their story made him feel incomplete in their presence. Deanna's house was filled with people, but he needed his partner at his side. He excused himself from the couple and searched around the room.

There she was. She had to be some sort of angel. Michonne stood in the middle of the dining room holding Judith in her bare arms, talking with Abraham and Rosita. A white, thin-strapped dress clung to her lean body, showcasing her curves. Her hair was wrapped in a bun at the top of her head. He had noticed the dress in her closet, but this was his first time seeing it on. All the frustration he had from the days prior dissipated. He needed to reconcile with her for his own sanity. He missed his best friend.

Rick stood there staring. Michonne stopped her conversation and turned her body to follow Carl's line of vision. He was smirking. She unexpectedly caught eyes with Rick. She hadn't seen him come in. Her eyes went quickly downcast, and her cheeks burned, not anticipating the intense adoration she saw in his warm blue eyes. Michonne fought to keep ahold of the large smile that dared to extend upon her face. From the other side of the room Rick blushed, amused by how nervous they both were; this was the first time in a long time. Typically Michonne was the shy one, yet she had the former sheriff shaking in his worn out boots. It was an odd but welcome feeling.

The closer he strolled towards her the more confident he grew, he had a feeling that their conversation wouldn't end in an argument this time, not with the way her eyes softened at him.

"Can we talk?" They both said in unison.

Rick immediately shot Michonne a look, surprised that she wanted to speak to him when he was the one that needed to apologize, especially with how the past few days had gone. Michonne chuckled, at his puzzled reaction and then handed over Judith to Carl.

Rick's hand found its comfortable position at her lower back and gently guided her out to the side porch. The music that blared from inside the house became muffled once Rick closed the door behind them. Michonne glided over to the porch railing and drummed her fingertips against the worn wood, contemplating how she wanted to begin. Meanwhile, she was oblivious to Rick loitering by the door fighting his arousal caused by her appearance in the dress.

 _Focus Rick._ "Michonne," she turned towards his voice, "you've given me time to think about what happened between us, more time than I'd like to truly admit, but you were right. You don't have to tell me everything and it wasn't until you said it that I realized I did lay so many things on you, without you wanting it or not and that's unfair of me. I was making up for all the times Lori said I didn't express myself enough, but I didn't stop to think about how it affected you. That's why I need you to communicate with me Michonne. You take on so much, you never tell me when I'm burdening you with my problems. I shouldn't be the one causing you stress. I'm sorry if it ever felt like I was forcing you to share your personal business. I didn't mean any harm."

"I know you didn't Rick. I almost feel like I owe you an apology. How can I fault you for being open and honest with me from day one? I could've made immense strides to be open with you, instead I tried separating myself from my past. Detaching myself from it, as if it were a story that I had read or a horrible movie that I had watched." She fumbled with the hem of her dress, taking a deep ragged breath before carrying along. "I had a son." She bit the corner of her lip, fighting back the lump in her throat that threatened to choke her.

"You don't have to talk about it now if it's too hard."

"But I want to. I love you, you should know." She sniffled. "Carl already does. Don't take it personal. I knew I loved him before I realized I loved you." Her admission caused them both to smile.

"Fair enough."

"His name was Andre. Andre Anthony." Her eyes glowed with pride. "He was three when it happened. His father Mike was supposed to be watching him with his friend Terry while I went out on a run. We were staying at a camp in Atlanta at the time and with so many families seeking refuge, supplies were limited. They needed people to go and bring things back and Mike at this point had given up hope. He wasn't willing to adapt, and because of it he was reckless." Rick noticed her fists clenched at her sides. He took them both into his own hands and massaged the tense muscles. "My gut told me not to leave that morning, but who else was going to get food for Andre. His father had given up hope, and Terry was a coward. So I left, not knowing that would be the last time I would hear his little voice say " _Mommy_."

Hot tears ran down her cheeks, as the harsh memory flooded into a tidal wave of emotion. Rick pulled her against his chest and surrounded her in a firm embrace. He kissed the top of her head moving his strong hands in large circles against her back. When the sobs subsided, she softly placed her arms around Rick's waist, laid her head upon his chest and resumed. "I came back and the camp was overrun with walkers. I immediately searched for Andre, that's when I found Mike and Terry already bitten, they had been high. I was so mad Rick. I could've saved them, but they didn't deserve it. I saw the walkers kneeling over Andre's body, devouring what was left of him." A sigh left her lips. "No one should ever have to see that."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that. And it hurts even more to know that you went through that alone. But to see how you've allowed yourself to find love for children that you didn't give birth to amazes me, and it's one of the many reasons I love you. It took me a while to acknowledge it, yet my love for you runs deeper than any friendship." Michonne's eyes met his as they remained intertwined in their embrace. "I worry about you, I have an unreasonable need to protect you, I always want to be near you . . . I love you so much. Do you know I couldn't even stay mad at you last night?" She glanced down momentarily, smiling at his confession. "Michonne, you make me such a better person."

"You make me a better person too." Her voice was a whisper as she gazed at the beautiful man in front of her.

Without batting an eye, he requested in a low hoarse voice, "Marry me?"

"What?" Michonne's eyes grew wide. She thought she perhaps had misheard him.

"I've been lucky enough to have you by my side this long, I'm not sure in a world like this that I'll be lucky enough to grow old with you. What are we honestly waiting for, Daryl to take a bath? I mean 'cause if that's the case. . ."

"Rick, this is fast. I haven't even been your girlfriend."

"Bullshit, you've been my girlfriend for months. You've been too scared to admit it. You practically said so yourself in the letter."

"You mean to tell me I've been your girlfriend for this long without any of the benefits?" She smirked.

"You can have all the benefits you want, just say the word."

"Yes, I'll marry you."

Rick lowered his mouth to cover hers in a tender kiss. All the apprehension about their love for one another washed away as their bodies melted into each other. Michonne realized that they had never got around to finishing what had been started and desired to quickly make up for lost time. She pulled Rick back into another kiss, this one hungrier than the last. She sucked his bottom lip between hers and used her tongue to tease him. He let a low grunt, not expecting her to move so fast.

"M-Michonne, wait, wait, wait."

"What?" she spat. Her eyes squeezed shut trying to stay in the moment, resenting another interruption.

"We can't just leave the kids in there."

She relaxed her eyes and sighed. "Right."

They turned and took a step towards the door, until Michonne halted. "Are we telling Carl or anybody else?"

"Let's wait on it. We shouldn't take any attention away from the guests of honor. Besides, I don't want to share you with anyone else tonight."

He reached down to give her a peck, a seductive smile lingering on his lips. Michonne blushed as they resumed walking towards the door.

Once inside, the pair found Carl and informed him that they were heading home for the night. Carl wanted to stay and enjoy the festivities, so Rick grabbed Judith from him.

Both were horrible at hiding their excitement as they dashed around the room saying their goodbyes to everyone before taking each other's hand and strolling through the moonlight. Judith softly cooed against Rick's chest as she lulled herself to sleep. Michonne used her free hand to loosen her locs and swung them free from her bun. She leaned her temple on Rick's shoulder and gazed longingly, not at her friend, but at her lover as they moved closer and closer to their home.

Rick kissed Judith on the forehead before placing her gently in her crib. "Goodnight sweetheart," he whispered before exiting the room. Michonne chose to wait for Rick in the bedroom, well at least that's what she told him. In actuality, she paced around the room trying to her prep herself for the inevitable.

The door knob turned and Michonne immediately plopped onto the bed, her head propped up by her elbow as if she were posing for a fashion magazine. Rick couldn't ignore her unusual behavior.

"What are you doing?" he snickered as he continued walking over to the bed.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and wrung and her hands. She let out a short breath through her nose. "I haven't done this in a long time." She flung her hair over her shoulder to look up at Rick standing at her side.

"Geez Michonne, I never would've guessed." She swatted him across the gut. "Ow," his hand moved to soothe the sore area. "If it makes you feel any better that night while you were upchucking in my bathroom, I was downstairs in the kitchen a nervous wreck."

"Oh my gosh," her hands cupped her mouth. "I never apologized for that, I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, I wouldn't hesitate if it ever happened again." His hand reached out to cover hers, as their eyes met with silent professions of love.

"Where's the letter?" Remembering that she was highly intoxicated while writing it she was curious about the fine details of said note.

A smile tugged at Rick's lips as he pulled the handle of the small drawer next to his bed and handed it to her. She could tell he had cherished it. No creases or wrinkles damaged it, still appearing to be brand new.

He shrugged picking up on her thoughts. "I read it every morning."

This man was going to be her sweet death. He sat near her on the soft bed and to her delightful surprise he pulled her into his lap so that he could cradle her from behind as she opened the letter.

 **Rick,**

 **Where do I start with this? I'm writing this letter to you partially because I've been bullied into it (Maggie does not give up), but mostly because for months I've been too scared to truly express what I feel for you. Who knew the crazed sheriff staring at me while I stood outside of the prison would become my closest friend and someone that I trust with my life. That seems like such a long time ago compared to where we are now. You accepted me into the group, but Carl was the first to open up to me. That relationship has become infallible and you should be proud of yourself for raising up such a beautiful human being. He continuously pushes me to live a life full of optimism. And my girl Judy, she is a beacon of hope for everyone in Alexandria. I am undeniably lucky to be able to wake up every morning and see those chubby cheeks. They've changed me. You changed me.**

 **I went from wandering around alone amongst walkers and then I met you and you made me want to be a part of a group. We've experienced so much together and you've fought to keep us all alive, even when it meant putting yourself in harm. I respect you so much for it. If we're being honest, I've been attracted to you from the day we met but I knew it was more when you agreed to go to Washington. If we weren't without toothpaste for so long I would've kissed you. I couldn't believe stubborn ass Rick was willing to listen to my grandiose idea.**

 **Sometimes I thought I was crazy thinking you were flirting back. I was so nervous, 'cause what if you did share the same feelings? I started thinking about what it would mean to be a girlfriend, a mother again? I felt like I messed up so much before, I didn't want to ruin your family like I did mine. But I know I can no longer hold that guilt. I meant it when I said _I'm still with you_. I want to be with you and Carl and Judith for as long as this world allows me.**

 **-M**

"I can't believe I said all that . . . but I really meant it."

"I know."

"How did you know? It seems that you were so sure about my feelings for a while, when I wasn't even sure my damn self." They chuckled together as she caressed the light hairs on his forearms.

"I wasn't always so sure. You definitely kept up a poker face." He crossed his arms in front of her, squeezing her closer to him. "I knew there was something there by the way you reacted to me. Had I touched Rosita, Sasha, or Carol anyone else on their lower back the way I touched you, they would've put a bullet in my head. You on the other hand, would give me a look back like you wanted to tear my clothes off, you just wouldn't act on it."

Her head fell back onto his shoulder as she shook her head in disbelief. Had she been that obvious? Gazing down at her, he found her bashful side not only endearing, but sexy as hell. That smile of hers was magnetizing, and he wanted to do anything possible to keep it on her face.

Michonne gasped feeling Rick's lips graze across her shoulder as he placed soft kisses to her smooth skin. Her head still leaning on one of his shoulders, he glided his hands away from hers. One slinked down to her hip, the other slithered up the silky fabric of her dress, past her breasts to gently clasp her neck.

Enticed by his touch, Michonne's breaths shortened, provoking Rick to continue on his mission. His tongue trailed up her neck and teased her ear lobe, before sucking it in his mouth and causing her to hiss sharply. Her hand instinctively found its way to his dark curls and grasped firmly. He had planned to take this slowly, but the insatiable way Michonne began to grind her body against his was not making it easy. She smirked at the feel of him hardening underneath her.

His beard brushed past her cheek to whisper, "Stand up." She obliged and felt the cool air of the room caress her back as Rick slowly unzipped her dress before letting it pool around her feet. Rick was delighted to be met with relatively bare ass cheeks, the only thing covering them was a lacy black thong, which matched her black bra.

His tongue assaulted her behind, tracing the mound of her derriere and moving lower to strip off the fabric with his teeth, pulling it just enough to hear it slap her skin. He kissed a cheek to show his appreciation for the perfect posterior that had hypnotized him for almost a year. Sweet nectar threatened to drip down from her center, as Michonne relished in his attention to detail.

Rick swiftly turned her body towards him as he stood from the bed and guided her to the nearest wall, all the while attacking her with a hungry kiss. His tongue searched her mouth causing him to groan when he found his treasure, her tongue curling to greet his. Heat emitted from both their bodies and they were pressed chest to chest. Michonne had to open her eyes for a second to make sure this wasn't one of her many wild fantasies. The most beautiful man was in front of her, fully enveloped in her, passionately moving his lips across hers. Nope, this was really happening. His beautiful blues bore into hers and smiled hesitantly, ceasing the kiss as he noticed her watching.

"What?" he questioned.

"You really are handsome," she giggled.

"Thank you," he blushed and looked away, then turned back towards her to continue, "I mean you're only the most beautiful woman I've ever met." He placed a sweet kiss to her lips, her cheeks reddened matching his.

He slowly unbuttoned his shirt recalling her words from the other day. "I know you said I'm not the boss of you," he said as his shirt fell to the floor, and as he started on his belt buckle raised her brow wondering where he was going with this, "In this bedroom I am." His voice had lowered to a husky tone. She'd let him think that, at least for now. His pants and boxers were falling to the floor. Without notice, he picked Michonne up by her strong thighs and laid her down on the bed. He covered her body with urgency, trailing warm kisses down her chest and reaching a hand under her back to discard of her bra. The previous bashful stare shifted to desire.

He used his tongue to tease her pert nipple, tracing a circle around the bud before sucking it forcefully into his mouth like a delicious popsicle. Michonne let out a soft moan, her hands finding their way back to his unruly curls, as his hand twisted and tugged at her other nipple. After showing each breast attention, he continued his journey dipping his tongue in her belly button, circling around it and nibbling at her inner thigh. The anticipation was killing her, she could already feel her juices soaking her thong. Almost as if he could read her mind, he leaned back to slide the blockage down her slender legs.

He stopped to admire the beauty in front of him, in disbelief that she was gracing him with her presence. He resumed his position between her thighs and latched his mouth to her clit, starting with a soft lick to gauge her arousal. Her eyebrows scrunched together in unsurmountable pleasure, this was the signal to further his exploration towards her rapture. His mouth latched onto her clitoris and sucked and teased, causing her abdominal muscles to contract as her legs began to tremble.

Unholy words fell from her lips, her eyes popped open in shock, as Rick used two fingers to massage her slick folds before plunging them into her entrance. From between her thighs, he managed to keep a rhythm going as he watched her reactions, only breaking away to tend to his task. Her hands gripped once again at his curls, mewling as Rick felt her vaginal walls clench around his fingers until her sweet release. She gripped the sheets beneath her and nearly screamed when he replaced his fingers with his lips, lapping up the juices that came pouring from her. He nipped and kissed at her thighs as her body calmed.

"Come here," she whispered.

Before he could protest she forcefully pushed him down onto the mattress, straddling his waist, reclaiming the power he formerly possessed.

She reached behind her to stroke his glistening length, realizing just how thick and long it was she almost did a double-take? _Damn Rick's working with all this!? No wonder he has that bowlegged strut, gotta balance all this hardware._ Her naughty thoughts dissolved as she struggled to balance herself. Rick had been he thrusting his length into her hand, which showed he obviously had an issue giving up control.

She slid her fingers to the base of his dick and squeezed, grabbing his immediate attention. "I see, you still think you're in charge?" A wicked look gleamed across her eyes as she gave him the cocky head tilt that he so often used before murdering someone. This was a challenge, Rick thought, and as succulent as she looked on top of him, he was willing to give up his reign in collateral for whatever she was offering.

He smirked and laid out his hands in surrender. "Good boy," she gave him a wink before sliding her svelte body down his legs to take him into her mouth. She tested him out, giving just the head a quick suck before popping it out. His curly head lifted to watch shortly before falling back onto the pillow behind him, a deep moan escaping him. Music to her ears as she continued her vicious attack licking the head of his penis like a melting ice cream cone, followed by a deep swallow all the way to the base and back up. Both hands twisted and massaged his length while her mouth worked the tip.

All of his heavy breathing and moaning compelled her to add her own, this man was so damn satisfying. Fallen into a lustful haze, she almost didn't hear Rick's muffled request.

"Mmmm, Michonne?" his voice rasped.

"Hmm?" her eyebrows raised but she never left focus on the dick being cradled by her slippery fingers.

"Can I touch you?"

Once again, she popped his head out and licked it, "You may," she answered.

He wasted no time finding the back of her head and tugging her locs. Someone has a kink, she thought to herself, proceeding to move her hands and mouth around him, up and down, up and down, until he tugged a little tighter on her hair and whispered, "I don't wanna finish yet, let me inside you."

As much as she was enjoying giving him head, she wanted him stroking her even more. He let her lift up from him before he climbed off the bed. In true carnivorous fashion, he grabbed her by the ankle and drug her thick bottom to meet his waist at the edge of the bed. Michonne's toned legs stirred at his shoulders, anticipating his next move and taking note of the look of starvation in his eyes. He was unquestionably hungry for more of her.

And although no commands were given, she readily complied as he slid his large hands up the underside of her thighs, curling right above her knees to position them securely against his hard chest. Her ass briefly hung off the bed before he pressed his length into her excruciatingly slow, giving her walls time to stretch and adjust to him, both groaning at the tight fit.

"Rick," she breathed, her thoughts turned to mush as he began rocking slowly into her.

Not before long, the dark room entirely echoed with their moans, both almost forgetting about the sleeping baby down the hallway.

Rick leaned forward, attempting to capture her full lips to quiet her, but was pleased to find out how flexible she was, her thighs never moving their place from his chest. His hips instinctually thrusted harder into her, totally disregarding his original plan to muffle her cries of pleasure. Rick had never heard his bedsprings make so many squeaks before, but at this point he gave no fucks. His head fell on her shoulder, while she practically purred in his ear. Her walls began to contract around him, while he was five seconds from losing it.

"Baby," she attempted to speak, yet no coherent words followed as her orgasm crashed over her like a typhoon. He instantly released her quivering legs as he pulled out to release his warm seed onto her stomach.

After catching their breaths, they both took turns cleaning up in the bathroom. Rick slipped on his jeans to check on Judith down the hall and found that Carl had come home as he promised. The teenager seemed to be fast asleep, wrapped in his covers. A blush covered his cheeks in hindsight, wondering at exactly what point did he come in and how much did he hear?

Rick reentered his room and couldn't help but beam at her. With her eyes shut, the moonlight reflecting off of her cocooned in his sheets, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. He rid himself of his jeans and slid next to her.

"Hey," he whispered.

Her brown eyes met his blue as they fluttered open for a second before closing again. "Hmph?"

"This is only going to work if you share some covers with me," he chuckled at her half-opened mouth smooshed on the pillow.

She didn't even think twice about reopening her eyes. She responded to the mere sound of his breathing in front of her. "You have three options. You can either A) steal another cover from downstairs, B) sleep on the floor or C) cuddle with me and run the risk of getting the covers snatched from you in the middle of the night. Pick your poison."

She must have not heard his proclamation earlier that in this bedroom, he was the boss.

"Anything to be near you" he relented, cradling her to his chest and winding them together in the mass of sheets.

* * *

 _Epilogue_

Michonne woke and smiled hearing a soft heart beat under her.

"Good morning beautiful."

"Good morning handsome."

"I didn't want to wake you. I thought you could use the sleep."

"That's an understatement," she chuckled.

All of a sudden small claps came through the baby monitor. Judith learned that it was the quickest way to get their attention.

"Uh oh, my Judy girl is up." She began to climb out of the bed until Rick protested.

"Relax, I'll go get her." He approached the closet to find a shirt and pants to put on and jumped back as a body fell mere inches from his feet.

"Oh shit," he heard from the intruder.

Michonne was already up by Rick's side, completely naked with katana firmly in hand.

"Tara what the fuck are you doing here?" Rick shouted.

Michonne dropped her shoulders yet Rick held his alert stance.

"Oh my God, oh my God. I didn't see anything Michonne, I swear."

"Explain, NOW." Rick cocked his head to the side.

"Okay, okay. So I was playing this game with Rosita and Maggie . . ."

Michonne shook her head, "I'm going to kill Maggie."


End file.
